Super Bowl LX

FOX Sports’ Megan Olivi reported on Sunday that the Seahawks “are aiming” to have Darnold play in Week 3 against the Commanders. It goes without saying that Darnold will need to get a few days of practice in if he hopes to suit up, making this a big week for the Seahawks’ QB1 as he looks to get back on the field. Darnold’s injury wasn’t as severe as the team initially feared when he exited in Week 1 against the Patriots, but with a game against the 0-2 Commanders on the horizon, it’s possible the team doesn’t look to rush him back to the field if he’s not close to 100 percent. His practice status will be worth monitoring throughout the week, but if he’s held out, Drew Lock will make at least one more start in what should be a plus matchup for fantasy managers.

He pointed to the ailment being a “technical term for somewhere up in your shoulder, but it’s intact.” It doesn’t sound like we should expect Price to miss major time, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he were limited or missed some practice days this week in the wake of an injury. Emanuel Wilson will be the backup plan and a worthy waiver claim after his 22-carry performance against the Cardinals last week.

Holani got involved late in the game, after starting RB Jadarian Price exited with a chest injury, but it was RB Emanuel Wilson who regularly spelled Price throughout the game, racking up a game-high 21 carries. If Price is sidelined against the Commanders in Week 3, Holani would likely handle passing downs in Seattle’s backfield.

Wilson failed to catch his lone target. The Seahawks’ burly back began rotating in on the team’s fourth drive and traded touches with starting RB Jadarian Price thereafter. On the fifth drive, Price got the first touch on 1st-and-goal, but Wilson subbed in and took three unsuccessful carries in a row, leading to a turnover on downs. That did not deter the Seahawks from using him, though. Wilson remained heavily involved for the rest of the game and generally served as the team’s lead rusher once Price exited with a chest injury in the fourth quarter. Wilson did cede high-value touches, even in scoring position, to RB George Holani, though Wilson handily out-touched him 21-5. If Price cannot play in Week 3 against the Commanders, Wilson would warrant RB2/FLEX consideration.

Up 24-7 on 4th-and-goal with just over three minutes left in the game, the Seahawks started a fresh set of downs from the Cardinals’ three-yard line. Both RB George Holani and RB Emanuel Wilson were given chances to punch it in before Seahawks OC Brian Fleury dialed up a Tush Push play for Barner on 4th-and-goal. Barner jumped up and across the line, bringing his fantasy stat line from something unusable to something we can live with. He remains a boom-bust TE1 against the Commanders next week. Seahawks TE2 Elijah Arroyo nabbed a 17-yard pass on a post route, but that was it for him. So far, the Seahawks’ reported uptick in usage for the tight end position has not panned out.

Price reportedly underwent X-rays after the game, and the results came back negative. The rookie running back exited during the fourth quarter in Seattle’s Week 2 game against the Cardinals and was next seen pacing the sidelines without his helmet and pads. He was later shown pointing to his right pectoral while interacting with coach Mike Macdonald. Price will undergo more testing tomorrow. Backup RBs Emanuel Wilson and George Holani would split touches if Price misses the Seahawks’ Week 3 game against the Commanders.

Kupp got involved on the Seahawks’ fifth and sixth drives, but was quiet outside of that. The 33-year-old wide receiver entered the game with a back injury, though he logged two full practice sessions, so it is unlikely to have meaningfully impacted him. He nabbed his second reception during the Seahawks’ two-minute drill at the end of the first half, but he was unable to get out of bounds, allowing precious seconds to tick away. Kupp is a WR5/FLEX against the Commanders.

The Seahawks tried to get Shaheed involved early on, but he largely made his presence felt on special teams, returning two kicks for 47 yards and three punts for 29 yards. Shaheed was unable to haul in his first target on the Seahawks’ second drive. He got open on a post route from the slot on the ensuing drive, and QB Drew Lock hit him for a 23-yard gain. He caught a four-yard pass in the flats immediately after that. Later, on the sixth drive, Lock fired a pass at Shaheed 34 yards downfield, but the coverage defender grazed the ball, altering the trajectory and leading to an incompletion that went off Shaheed’s fingertips. Shaheed also fumbled the second half’s opening kick return, but Seattle recovered it and advanced the ball 30 yards downfield. Shaheed remains a big-play-dependent FLEX against the Commanders next week.

On the Seahawks’ second play from scrimmage, a Cardinals safety somehow failed to pick up Smith-Njigba, streaking down the right sideline, after he snuck right past CB Will Johnson. Seahawks QB Drew Lock noticed and fired a perfect pass to Smith-Njigba in stride, leading to the Seahawks’ wide receiver’s longest career gain. The rest of the day played out similarly, with Smith-Njigba routing up defenders right and left. He scored again on the Seahawks’ seventh drive, leaping past a diving cornerback to make the catch in the end zone. Lock linked up with him again for a third score in the back of the end zone, threading the ball past a linebacker in the end zone as Smith-Njigba broke left on a crosser, dusting Cardinals S Budda Baker.

Lock looks great, and the Seahawks aren’t asking too much of him. The fill-in starter got things going with a perfectly placed 82-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to cap the first drive. He linked up with Smith-Njigba for two more scores as the game progressed. At one point, Lock willingly took a hard hit as he stood tall against pressure before completing a pass to his No. 1 wide receiver along the sideline, which led to a successful field goal a few plays later. The Seahawks could get QB Sam Darnold (glute) back next week, but Lock warrants streaming QB1 consideration against the Commanders if he remains the starter.